Is Johnny Depp Officially The Biggest Star In The World?

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I think Harrison Ford is still the biggest star of all time. He has two of the biggest franchises of all time on his credit. I'm sure Will Smith is up there too.

Ford had perhaps the greatest "fan" run of any actor, ever.
1977- Star Wars
1980- The Empire Strikes Back
1981- Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982- Blade Runner
1983- Return of the Jedi
1984- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

But now, ehh. With the exception of the fourth Jones installment, he really hasn't done anything big in what seems like forever. He may be the greatest overall, but he's way past his prime now.

 

[ross2287]

The popularity of Depp and Jack Sparrow eventually overwhelmed those movies though. Technically Orlando Bloom's character Will Turner is the main character, on the classic Hero's Journey, and Jack Sparrow is Han Solo. It's very clear in the first movie. But the sequels, understandably, focus on the more popular Jack, despite the fact he doesn't have a story arc, and sideline Will, when he should be front and centre.

But in all honesty Jack was the more interesting character. I don't think anyone will deny that.

 

[terry78]

Everyone knows popularity don't mean squat unless you're popular in America. We make or break mother****ers, ya heard? We gets money!


As far Depp, his casual cameos on shows like Spongebob and King of the Hill move him up past most other A-listers.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Ford had perhaps the greatest "fan" run of any actor, ever.
1977- Star Wars
1980- The Empire Strikes Back
1981- Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982- Blade Runner
1983- Return of the Jedi
1984- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

But now, ehh. With the exception of the fourth Jones installment, he really hasn't done anything big in what seems like forever. He may be the greatest overall, but he's way past his prime now.

He also had a pretty huge box office run in the 1990's.

1990 - Presumed Innocent
1992 - Patriot Games
1993 - The Fugitive
1994 - Clear and Present Danger
1997 - Air Force One
2000 - What Lies Beaneath

 

[Brother Jack]

He might be the most popular right now. That guy's got fans like no other actor I've ever seen.

 

[HighFivingMF]

I think Harrison Ford is still the biggest star of all time. He has two of the biggest franchises of all time on his credit. I'm sure Will Smith is up there too.

So does Orlando Bloom.

 

[Ziggyman]

The Biggest "Star" to date is probably Depp...but I forsee the he is soon to be surpassed by none other than...RDJ...

He's got the Iron Man's and the whole Avengers thing going on...and a possibly/probably big Sherlock Holmes franchise coming up...

 

[Ziggyman]

The Biggest "Star" to date is probably Depp...but I forsee the he is soon to be surpassed by none other than...RDJ...

He's got the Iron Man's and the whole Avengers thing going on...and a possibly/probably big Sherlock Holmes franchise coming up...

 

[Mace Dolex]

So does Orlando Bloom.

This wimp is no movie star, he just got lucky starring in blockbuster franchises. I'll bet the average joe couldn't even pick him out among a crowd.

 

[Catman]

The popularity of Depp and Jack Sparrow eventually overwhelmed those movies though. Technically Orlando Bloom's character Will Turner is the main character, on the classic Hero's Journey, and Jack Sparrow is Han Solo. It's very clear in the first movie. But the sequels, understandably, focus on the more popular Jack, despite the fact he doesn't have a story arc, and sideline Will, when he should be front and centre.

The problem was the casting of Orlando Bloom. He's no where near as good as Johnny Depp. So, naturally, he's gonna get overshadowed. Johnny Depp is great and all, but there have been actors who've gone toe to toe with him. For example, Lili Taylor is Arizona Dream. Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He got an Oscar nomination. Mary Stuart Masterson in Benny & Joon. Martin Landau in Ed Wood. He won the Oscar! Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco. John Turturro in Secret Window. Samantha Morton in The Libertine. Sacha Baron Cohen in Sweeney Todd. So, if they had cast a great actor, Jack Sparrow would just be the comic relief instead of the main character.

The Biggest "Star" to date is probably Depp...but I forsee the he is soon to be surpassed by none other than...RDJ...

He's got the Iron Man's and the whole Avengers thing going on...and a possibly/probably big Sherlock Holmes franchise coming up...

Robert Downey, Jr., like Johnny Depp, was a quirky actor in the `80s and `90s whose now gone mainstream. However, Iron Man is not nearly as successful as Pirates of the Carribean. So, if Downey is gonna surpass Depp it's gonna have to be with another franchise.

 

[Kargo Warrior]

In Japan, Alice in Wonderland has been #1 for 6 weeks and has grossed over $100 million. That was mostly because of Johnny Depp whose very popular there.



Avatar's $2 billion is misleading...you know...with the 3D and all.



I know this is SHH and all, but it took TDK like 6-7 months to reach $1 billion. And it only did because WB re-released the movie in January of 2009. So, 3D or no 3D, studios always use a gimmick to gain extra profits.



Pirates grossed $1 billion for the same reason as Alice - Japan. It grossed $84.5 million there.



You mean the same hype that helped How to Train Your Dragon and Clash of the Titans? Oh, wait.

When you post replies as facts at least have something to back them up instead of crying foul because your favorite Johnny Depp is not as popular as you would like him to be.

TDK didn't need 6-7 months to make a billion...it had $992 after 2 and a half months...after that it was re-released and it made the billion.

Avatar sold 60,7 million tickets when it crossed $600...

http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2667&p=.htm

That makes around 75 million tickets with it's current gross...the same number of tickets TDK sold and yet it made $220 million less 2 years ago.

Titanic sold 128 million tickets and made $150 million less than Avatar.That's 53 million tickets more and yet Avatar is ''number 1''.

That's how Alice made a billion...comparing Pirates' box office run to Alice's is ludicrous at best. If it wasn't for Japan?What kind of terrible logic is that?Return Of The King made $94,966,172 there...it's a huge market,how does that diminish what Pirates 2 has achieved?Even with a gross of $20 million from Japan,Pirates 2 would have crossed the mark.

Without 3D overpriced tickets Alice wouldn't have made more than $650-700.

It's like one musician selling 10 million copies for $5 and another selling 5 million copies for $11,so musician number two would make $55 while musician one $50.Who is the more popular artist?

 

[Catman]

TDK didn't need 6-7 months to make a billion...it had $992 after 2 and a half months...after that it was re-released and it made the billion.

In other words, without the re-release, it wouldn't have reached a billion.

That's how Alice made a billion

3D helped. No one is denying that. And, yet, How to Train Your Dragon and Clash of the Titans didn't benefit at all from 3D. And neither is Shrek Forever After. 3D helps...but only if its the right movie.

...comparing Pirates' box office run to Alice's is ludicrous at best.

They're both Disney. They both star Johnny Depp. They're both adaptations. So, comparisons are bound to be made.

If it wasn't for Japan? What kind of terrible logic is that?

A movie will perform differently in each country. Take Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, for example. It grossed $196.5 million domestically. Respectable numbers, I guess. Worldwide it grossed $884.7 million. Was it because of Japan? Nope. Not at all. In Japan it only grossed $1.2 million. It flopped. It was a hit because of Europe. In the case of Pirates, Japan was the second biggest foreign market, after the UK, and the biggest non-English speaking market. With Alice it's the biggest foreign market. You can't ignore that contribution.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

The problem was the casting of Orlando Bloom. He's no where near as good as Johnny Depp. So, naturally, he's gonna get overshadowed. Johnny Depp is great and all, but there have been actors who've gone toe to toe with him. For example, Lili Taylor is Arizona Dream. Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He got an Oscar nomination. Mary Stuart Masterson in Benny & Joon. Martin Landau in Ed Wood. He won the Oscar! Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco. John Turturro in Secret Window. Samantha Morton in The Libertine. Sacha Baron Cohen in Sweeney Todd. So, if they had cast a great actor, Jack Sparrow would just be the comic relief instead of the main character.

I agree absolutely, and clearly Hollywood has given up on the idea of Bloom as a leading man. However, focusing on Jack rather than Will in the sequels is what the major fault of those films. Sure, Jack is a more entertaining character to watch, but he has no proper story. Han Solo is a more entertaining character to watch than Luke, but can you imagine if he became the main character in Empire and Jedi?

 

[Electrix]

Neither Public Enemies or Sweeney Todd made over $100 million in the US.

He's a draw, but only when he's in expensive commercial fare with huge marketing budgets.

 

[Catman]

clearly Hollywood has given up on the idea of Bloom as a leading man.

Isn't the Three Musketeers gonna be his first movie in 3-4 years? We're talking about Depp starring in two movies that grossed $1 billion worldwide...but so did Orlando Bloom. And, yet, look at him now.

 

[terry78]

We're always looking for that hot new young flavor, and oftentimes if they're not from the states we feel that added exotic nature is an added bonus. But it don't always pan out. Just because you have a sexy accent doesn't mean you'll make it big.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Isn't the Three Musketeers gonna be his first movie in 3-4 years? We're talking about Depp starring in two movies that grossed $1 billion worldwide...but so did Orlando Bloom. And, yet, look at him now.

Yeah, and he's not even playing one of the Musketeers. Thing is though, Bloom was hardly the star of Lord of the Rings. Legolas has about as much screen time as Gimli, yet you'd hardly say Return of the King starred Jonathan Rhys Davies. With the Pirates movies, he was more or less sidelined in favour of Depp and the main supporting character of those movies became Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann. So yes, Bloom has been in some hugely succesful movies, but not been the leading man in any.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

So does Orlando Bloom.

Except Bloom had nothing to do with the success of his big franchises. Ford was a big part of the success of Star Wars (Han Solo was easily the most popular hero in the series) and Indiana Jones is nothing without him.

I would say Depp is the biggest right now. Robert Downey Jr. is pretty high too. From Iron Man to Tropic Thunder to Sherlock Holmes, he can open a movie these days.

 

[dark_b]

RDJ is the man.

 

[Mace Dolex]

We're always looking for that hot new young flavor, and oftentimes if they're not from the states we feel that added exotic nature is an added bonus Just because you have a sexy accent doesn't mean you'll make it big.

If you sound like Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem you can play the sexy gigolo European ladies man, if you sound like Cheech Marin and George Lopez you're lucky to be voicing a chihuahua dog.

Except Bloom had nothing to do with the success of his big franchises. Ford was a big part of the success of Star Wars (Han Solo was easily the most popular hero in the series) and Indiana Jones is nothing without him.

I agree on the Indiana Jones part but I think Star Wars was successful because of the characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and the storytelling.

 

[Catman]

Bloom has been in some hugely succesful movies, but not been the leading man in any.

True.

I think Star Wars was successful because of the characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and the storytelling.

Han Solo was a big reason for the success of Empire Strikes Back. While Luke Skywalker was training with Yoda he was the one battling the Empire and romancing the Princess. He was essentially the "action star" of that movie.

 

[terry78]

The Wolverine is always going to be more popular than the Cyclops, if you get me.

 

[matrix_ghost]

Isn't the Three Musketeers gonna be his first movie in 3-4 years? We're talking about Depp starring in two movies that grossed $1 billion worldwide...but so did Orlando Bloom. And, yet, look at him now.

But he isn't the sole lead. Hell it's 3 musketeers not 1 musketeer
And yes i do think that Bloom will never be able to carry a blockbuster on his own. I think Kingdom Of Heaven proved that.
With PoP coming out one of the dutch tv stations here played all 3 POTC movies over the weekend. I swear Bloom can be just as wooden as Keanu Reeves. It baffles me just how and why anyone thought that he would be able to play the lead role in Kingdom Of Heaven.

 

[matrix_ghost]

I meant at the moment.



Will Smith is consistant. I'll give him that. But his most successful movie is Independence Day with $306.1 million domestically and $817.4 million worldwide. That was in 1996 - 14 years ago. Since then he's had no movie reach $300 million domestically and only three that reached $200 million (Men in Black, I Am Legend, and Hancock). His total domestic take is $2.5 billion.

Johnny Depp, by comparison, has had any amazing 7 years. The three Pirates of the Caribbean movies combined grossed $2.6 billion worldwide. Add Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which grossed $474.9 million worldwide and that's $4 billion worldwide with JUST five movies!

Will Smith was the biggest star of the late `90s and early `00s. No one is denying that. But, Johnny Depp has definitely surpassed him these days. Especially since Will Smith has slowed down. His next movie is Men in Black III in...2012! That's four years without a Will Smith movie. Sorry, but Smith is no longer #1.

However i think that in POC and AIW case , the director also plays a big role in the success of those movies.
Hitting 300 million domestic isn't an easy feat. BUt it's only when Depp was in the POTC movies and teaming up with Burton to make smething for a broad auedience that Depp succeeded. Remove that and Depp isn't as consistent as Big Willie in terms of BO earnings.

Will Smith has had success with different directors and without the help of franchises. Mind you we are talking about commercial success , not critical success .
I AM LEGEND , Pursuit Of HappyNess , Hancock , Hitch , I ROBOT. There are more movies but the guy is far more succesful IMO then Depp in that.

 

[terry78]

The guy that decides to cast Depp and Will in the same movie is gonna be taking baths in Moet.